The Jefferson Republic is scheduling town hall meetings. During the meetings we will discuss a variety of topics and points of interest. The objective of the meetings is to provide citizens with the knowledge they will need to make an informed and educated vote on Measure C. Measure C is on the June 3 ballot in Siskiyou County.

Measure C is an opportunity to form a new constitutional government, governed by local citizens!

Funding: Before implementing any funding policies such as the suggestions below, representatives elected by “We the People” to administer our new government should be expected to volunteer their services with no pay, and be willing to only accept basic expense reimbursements. After the republic is established and running, we the people will be in a position to support, if the people so choose, paid positions.

After the initial concerted effort to pass Measure C, it is recommended to the people that the governing body be elected, and should convene no more than 120 days per calendar year. Also, new proposals impacting the financial status of the citizens shall require a vote by the people.

Also, adoption of any financial system should be voted on and passed by no less than 60 percent of the voting people. Adoption of any type of financial system or economic principals must be aligned with the most beneficial socio-economic impacts of our citizens. We must be certain not to adopt systems or representatives that are for the benefit of outside interests, whether they be large corporate or private financial entities. It goes without saying that a new government should not start out by borrowing money to finance its operations. For the Jefferson Republic to be successful, we have got to produce and acquire tangibles with value to form a solid economic base.

We think that private property belongs to the owner; and should not be used to finance government operations!

1. Start small and simple. Find need for products and services. Develop industry and commerce to fill that need by giving incentives to entrepreneurs to start up those businesses within the boundaries of the new government.

2. Eliminate a regressive tax system. Example: sales tax is harder on low income people than high income people. A charter can eliminate sales tax.

3. Accept no money from federal, state or foreign interests.

4. Develop a currency (possibly a barter system like bitcoins) backed by a commodity, one that has a store of value. Place that commodity in the vault, held in trust for all the citizens of the new government. Never to be spent.

The key is, for each county to inventory and recognize its resources in whatever form they may be, natural resources or man-made. Then, use those resources as part of the base from which to build.

Page 2 of 3 - 6. Establish a tax system that is fair to all, suggesting just one flat fee at a rate that helps to support the new government.

One such system could be, a gross revenue fee (flat tax), charged to all business engaged in the sale, manufacture, distribution, storage and transportation of goods and services. Mining or extraction of raw materials or minerals, timber harvesting, as well as any business that comes in to conduct business from outside the new boundaries. They could be charged the same rate as local business. Under this suggested system there could be nominal annual auto license fees, no sales tax, no use taxes and low property taxes with constitutional limits.

No matter what kind of system is established, it can not be implemented unless voted by the people. The above points are just a few variations that could be implemented.

8. Something that the voters have to consider is authorizing a new banking system by way of the charter. A dual financial system bank.

This new banking system would hopefully be charted outside of the two existing systems (federal and state), under the new government charter. The reason for this would be that the bank would be dealing locally only, and backed by the previous mentioned hard tangible assets.

We could have a legal barter system using silver and gold rounds within our borders, which could be easily exchanged for any other currency in the world when business transactions required it.

In effect, a dual monetary system.

No one knows what kind of currency the Federal Reserve Bank will come up with, or as with the IMF (International Monetary Fund). They are private banking corporations and can do what they want.

When the hard tangible assets are in the vault, held in trust for all the citizens, the new government can issue extremely low interest bonds backed by the hard assets to finance operations. The interest rate applied would be predicated on current market conditions.

Our new government could establish a mint to produce the “barter rounds” from the locally mined precious metals.

There is another commodity in great abundance in our region that needs to be managed correctly. A commodity that is in extremely great demand for today’s new technology. A hungry new technology that requires “rare earths.” And as Corporate America already knows, and is after, the Jefferson Republic will have enough to finance everything we are voting to accomplish.

In closing, and until next week, food for thought:

In August of 2013, an associate director for the Center of Economic Development (Chico State University) stated that Siskiyou County’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $1.8 billion. Yes, billion! He also stated that the people’s Gross Revenue (GR) was $1.2 billion. Basically, what the director said in a very simple analogy attached to this information was, “In 2011, if the United Nations included Siskiyou County financially among the 194 independent nations, it would rank 170.”

Page 3 of 3 - Dear readers, we can be a stand alone financial success within Jefferson Republic boundaries if done so correctly, and thus, a cornerstone to other counties trying to accomplish a free and liberty-enhanced quality of life for “We the People!”